Do as I Say, Not as i Do
by bizzylovinlafferty
Summary: At 17 Rachel has the weight of the world on her shoulders. But when she's given a fresh start and thrust into the equally unfair and challenging world of Nathan Scott. she learns that the grass isint always greener ont the other side.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

What do Dior, Avon, M.A.C, NYC, and countless other makeup brands have in common?

Mascara.

Waterproof mascara to be exact.

Waterproof mascara is the key to success. Because you can just cry and cry and it doesn't come off. Its great for the single mom, lonely teen, heart broken child, disgraceful prostitute and stripper.

A waterproof mask! Now at your local drug store!

She studied her reflection in the mirror as she stroked her lashes. Once, twice, three times.

"You put way to much of that crap on" one girl said

She looked over her shoulder

"Did I ask you?"

"It's true, you can bairley get it off your face" the other girl said.

"That's the point" she stated as she screwed the cap back on and through it into her make up bag.

She fluffed up her hair, smoothed down her tight top and pulled her formfitting jeans up, and gave her push up bra one last adjustment.

"They wont be on that long"

She whipped around. The small trailer shifted

"Who said that?" she growled.

Willa pointed at Darcy, Darcy pointed at Willa.

"You know what, let me ask you a question" Rachel said as she walked over to them with her arms crossed. "Do you like warm meals? Do you like clean clothes? Do you like having a god damned roof over your heads?" she shouted.

Her two younger sisters didn't respond.

"Well if you do…get off my case" she whispered as she walked to the door pulling her coat on. She sighed.

Tears were coming. She walked back to the mirror and grabbed that mascara, she might need another coat.

"Don't wait up" she opend the door and walked down the steps.

"Rachel?" she heard Willa call, she poked her head back in the trailer

"Be careful" Darcy whispered.

Rachel smiled. She walked back into the trailer and gave the two a hug.

"I will, I always am" she told them.

She was going to be late for work.

"Go to bed soon ok?" she asked as she walked back to the door and waved, this time she made it out of the trailer.

Willa sighed, Darcy got up and peered through the small window.

"She's gone" Darcy nodded

"She's so good to us…" Willa frowned.

Darcy through the phone to her

"Almost makes you feel bad for being bad, huh?" she smirked

"Almost" she dialed the phone.

She got in her car, the only car. It was old, had no heat or air conditioner. But it ran. She drove a few blocks down the small desolate road and suddenly the bright lights and people were around her. She pulled into Benny's and parked her car in the back.

She made her way around the front.

"Rachel! Wait up!" she heard a voice, she turned around. It was Cooper.

"You ok?" he smiled as he finally caught up

"Yea, but I'm already late" she rolled her eyes and kept walking.

"Late for what? I'm right here" he helled up the envelope.

Rachel frowned.

"Listen Coop, I like you a lot. And I really appreciate everything you've done for me and my sisters. But, you paying me 50 bucks an hour for deep conversation isint paying the bills. In there, I can make 200 dollars an hour" she pointed into the building.

"Fine, I'll give you 200" he told her. He didn't want her to go in there.

She smiled. She walked over to him and wrapped him in a hug.

She had feelings for him. He had feelings for her. But he was much older than her. As a matter of fact, even in Sin City it was not a good idea for a 30 year old man to carry on a relationship with a 17 year old girl.

"Rach, please" he whispered in her ear.

She pulled away

"I'm sorry" she shook her head before walking into the building.

She knew her way around the dimly lit rooms and made her way right to the back room.

"Oh my god, I thought you were never going to show up" one girl rolled her eyes

"Sorry" she put her things away "family stuff" she shrugged

"What family?" one other girl scoffed.

"Do you think you'll make as much money with a black eye?" Rachel threatened.

Some of the girls snickered but they quickly left the room. Nobody really liked Rachel Gattina.

After all, she was beautiful, strong, and the guys loved her. She made the money.

"I don't pay you to sit in the locker room" the manager growled as he walked passed her, making sure to grab her butt on the way.

She sighed, resting her forehead against the cold locker. Another day, another night.

She shrugged off her sweater locked it up and than walked back out into the dark show room.

"Your on the floor tonight" a girl in charge said in passing.

She nodded. Every night her throat closed up at this point, and she felt as though she would vomit. But as long as she had her waterproof mascara.

"Hey sweetie, how about a private dance" she heard a man ask in a husky voice. She blinked her eyes a couple of times and looked over her shoulder. The man was waving a 50 in the air.

She turned around and undid the strings of her corset top.

"Anything for you"

7 hours later Rachel stumbled out of the club, it had closed a little over half an hour ago. She pulled her sweater tight around her body. She had splashed her face with water and her hair as messed up. She had definitely looked a lot better going in, but that's how it usually worked.

"How were the poles?" Cooper was leaning up against her car.

"Cold" she nodded

"I wish you didn't have to do those things Rachel" he whispered

"Me to" she nodded

A tear slipped out and fell down her cheek. (no mascara though)

He walked over and wrapped her in his arms.

"I'm a horrible person" she whispered as she cried.

He tilted her chin up

"You are the strongest person I ever met" he whispered.

She smiled, "Drive me home?" she offered him her keys. He nodded as he opend her door for her and she slipped in.

Cooper pulled the old rusty car into the spot infront of the old rusty trailer home and they got out. They walked arm and arm up the front steps.

Rachel sighed. She had a long night. Old guys rubbing all over her, even though they weren't supposed to touch the girls. One girl had 'accidently' spilled a drink on her. But it was ok, because she had to abandon her top for the night, resulting in an extra $500. Which only made the girls hate her more.

She put the key in the knob. She pushed the door open and walked in with Cooper behind her.

"Is that…" she sniffed the air as she turned the lights on.

Imagine her horror, to find her two baby sisters. The two girls she danced around topless for, the two girls she gave up her entire life for…on the couch, with there boyfriends.

With a few joints still burning in the ash tray and her sisters half naked on top of there little boyfriends, she was speechless. But it was the light that startled the girls.

"Oh my god!" Darcy rolled off her boyfriend.

"What the hell are you doing!" Rachel shouted as she grabbed the ash tray. She looked around the room, beer bottles all over and a few condom wrappers. She covered her face.

"Since when do you bring your clients home?" Willa growled as the boys stumbled to find there clothes.

Rachel's mouth dropped.

"Alright, you two out" Cooper grabbed the two guys and basically through them out of the trailer.

"Who the hell do you think you are!" Darcy stood up to him.

Rachel pushed her back.

"cooper you can go wait in my room" Rachel whispered. He nodded

"And leave her tip on the dresser-" Willa was silenced when Rachel slapped her.

"What…the…Hell?" the girl growled

"I am not a prostitute" she whispered "And you know that"

"What difference does it make" Darcy flopped down on the couch next to Willa.

Rachel held her hair, she didn't know what to do.

"Why do you do this to me?" she shouted

The two drunk and high teenagers giggled.

"It's not funny!" Rachel shouted as she stomped into the kitchen and grabbed a garbage bag. She started throwing cans and garbage in it. The girls laughed wildly.

She through the bag in the corner and walked back to the girls.

She grabbed them both by the arm and dragged them down the hall, she pushed them through the door to the room they shared, slamming the door behind her.

She closed her eyes as tears fell, she pressed her weak body against the door.

Cooper was leaning against the door way of Rachel's room.

The girls were still laughing, Rachel banged her hand against the door, and they stopped for a moment.

"You are doing the best you can" Cooper whispered.

Rachel opened her eyes, her sight was blurry but she grabbed her bag and walked into the room passed him.

She emptied her bag, on to her bed. Dollar bills, ten dollar bills, 50s and 100s flew out.

"Busy night" Cooper sighed as he closed the door and took of his jacket.

She pulled a box out from under her bed and opened it, it to was full of money. She was saving for them. Her and her sisters.

"you know what Cooper! I'm tired of your little comments ok? Do you think I want to be a stripper? Do you think when I was seven years old I was like hey, you know what, if I try hard enough, maybe one day I can be a pole dancer? Well if you do, than your wrong. Because this is not what I had picked out for my life."

She was comfortable taking of her clothes, so she stripped them off and got into her pajamas.

She collapsed against the bed, cooper laid down next to her.

She rolled right into his arms.

"Tell me what to do?" she asked, enjoying the warmth of his embrace.

"Let me help you" he whispered

the truth was, Cooper had a lot of money. He had inherited a lot of money from his dad and now he lived in one of the Vegas hotel rooms. He had met Rachel when she was just a cocktail waitress. He had been instantly intrigued.

Well actually, he had instantly felt bad for her, but that led to intrigue.

Before she could answer, somebody banged on the bedroom door

"Rachel…" they moaned.

She sat up. Alcohol and Weed wore of fast.

"Let it be there punishment" he advised her.

"I cant" she whispered as she walked to the door.

AS soon as she opened it, Willa practically collapsed into her arms.

"Ok, it's going to be ok" Rachel supported her

"I think I'm going to be sick" she whispered, her breath reeked of tequila.

"Not yet" Rachel begged as she dragged the girl to the toilet.

She held back her sisters hair as she vomited. She tied it with a rubber band and went to go look for Darcy.

"Darce?" she called as she walked into the room.

The other girl was stretched out on her bed. She walked over and shook her and she didn't wake.

"Darcy, wake up" she started to panic.

Suddenly arms reached over her and felt the girls neck for a pulse.

"She's ok, just passed out" Cooper told her.

Willa stumbled back into the room, which was now crowded with people.

"Hey, get out of here" Willa pushed cooper "Get out!" she shouted

"Calm down-" Rachel tried to console her

"Rachel get him out!" she cried.

"coop, just give me a minute" she asked and he sighed in frustration as he left the room.

"Rach, why is he here" Willa cried as Rachel sat her down.

"He's my friend" Rachel explained as she went through the draw looking for a T Shirt.

"I don't like him" she stated as she waved back and forth

"Well you should, he's the only one we can trust" she found one and walked back to her sister.

Rachel gave it to the girl and she pulled it on.

"I can trust Danny" she sighed

"Danny, the guy on the couch? I'm sure" Rachel sighed.

"What do you know" Willa sighed in a drunk stupor as she laid down in her bed.

Rachel pulled the covers over her.

"uhh" Darcy moaned in the next bed. Rachel covered her.

"I know more than you think" Rachel closed the door.

She came back to her room.

"They take advantage of you, because you let them" Cooper told her.

"Do you wana be my dad…or…just…be with me?" she questioned

He pressed his lips together as he pulled her down to the bed. She snuggled up next to him. They weren't going to have sex, they had once before, but never felt the need to do it again. She fell asleep in his arms.

And that was it. Sisters in bed, money made, the day finally over. And not one streak of mascara.

The next morning she was pouring fruit loops in her bowl. Cooper had went to get bagels but she couldn't wait. She looked up to see Darcy stumble out of her room and into the kitchen.

Rachel smiled. She and the younger girl shared the same wild, long red hair. They looked the most alike, just like there mom. Right behind her, Willa walked out holding her head. She looked more like there dad, dark hair olive complexion.

"Morning" Rachel chirped

"Shut up" both girls whined

"Aw, rough night?" Rachel smiled

Willa shook her head, going to the cabinet.

"There's no aspirin?" she complained

"it was aspirin or bread"

"Next time, get the aspirin"

There was a knock at the door, she figured it was Cooper. Clad in her pajamas she got up and opened the door. But it wasn't Cooper.

"Can I help you officer?" she asked confused

"Are you Rachel Gatina?" one asked

"Yea-"

"Well than your under arrest" the two cops pushed into the small trailer

"For what?!" Rachel demanded as they cuffed.

"She didn't do anything wrong!" Darcy and Willa came forward

"Your under arrest for the suspicion of prostitution" one stated

"What?" Rachel asked confused

"Prostitution is legal in Las Vegas you moron!" Willa shouted as she hit the arm of one of the cops

"I'm not a prostitute!" Rachel shouted

"Than your under arrest for procession of an illegal substance" the other stated

"What?" she was so utterly confused.

They began to pull her towards the door.

"Get Cooper!" Rachel told her sisters who stood in the living room watching the Cops man handle her.

She had been sitting in a dark interrogation room for half an hour. She thought this type of thing only happened in movies. She knew exactly who was behind this. She only hoped that things were ok back at home. She just wanted her sisters to be safe. That was all she ever wanted.

She looked up when the door opened and light flooded in. She was surprised to find that it wasn't one of the loser cops who had brought her in, but somebody who looked important.

"Rachel Gatina? He asked as he sat down, she nodded yes. "Procession of a concealed weapon?" he looked at her wondering if it was true.

She laughed "first they said I was under arrest for prostitution" she stated

"but that's legal-"

"That's what I said, than they said it was a drug charge" she shook her head.

"I'm Chief Larris." He stated as he red the report "Hm…now what would to guys like O'Malley and McLain want with you?" he asked, referring to the two cops who had brought her in.

She shrugged

"Come on Rachel, I can help you, if you just tell me" he whispered

"I didn't do anything wrong" she cried

He patted her hand. He reminded her of her grandfather.

"Than why did they bring you in?"

"I guess…" she sighed as she looked up, wiping her cheek with the back of her hand.

Just tears, no mascara.

"I guess they must work for the O'Brian's" she whispered

"And what would the most notorious crime family in Las Vegas want with a young girl like you?" he pried.

She covered her face and continued to talk

"I needed a loan, they gave me a loan" she informed him "I guess they want there money"

"You guess?" he asked loudly "You guess? How much did they give you?"

"3 grand" she whispered

"And how much have you paid?"

"Like…800" she sighed as she sat back in her chair.

He sat back "What are you going to do? Do you have the money?"

She thought about her box under her bed.

"No" she shook her head "Not enough"

"Ok, right down all your information right here, I'll see what I can do" he whispered

She started to write.

"I'm going to try and help you Rachel. I'm going to try and get you out of this."

She dropped the pen "I don't need your help"

"oh, you don't? Well if they keep bringing you in here every week we're going to be seeing a lot of each other anyways, so why not just let me"

"There's nothing you can do, there's nothing anyone can do" she slammed her fist against the table.

The door opened again, it was one of the guys who brought her in.

"She made bail" he smiled

She got up and grabbed her coat.

The chief grabbed her by the arm

"Come back when your ready for some help" he whispered in her here.

She nodded and pushed passed the dirty cop.

She had figured that Cooper had bailed her out, but that was not the case.

As she emerged from the police station and walked down the steps, somebody grabbed her from behind, slamming her up against the brick wall, in broad day light.

"Oh my god" she got the wind blown out of her.

When she opend her eyes, there was John OBrian. The man had given her the loan.

"I want my money and your bail is being added to the tab." he growled as his arms snaked around her neck. Her own hands were pressed up against his chest.

"Well I don't have it. And its hard to make money…with bruises on your face" she explained barley able to breathe.

"You could come work for me, pay me off real fast" he slipped one hand up her shirt.

She didn't flinch, because she was used to that.

"I will get you…your money" she whispered

He let her go. "I'll tell you what…I'll give you a head start" he smiled as she started to run away.

"Hey Rachel!" she stopped and looked over her shoulder.

"Your sisters are really nice"

Her stomach clinched and her heart began to raise. She began to run. Faster than she had ever run in her entire life. The trailer was a few miles away from the police station but she ran hard and fast. She didn't stop once. She wasn't sure if she was even breathing anymore.

By the time she had reached the trailer part her hair was everywhere, her face was flushed and she felt as though she would fall to the ground. She stopped right in front of there 'home'

Willa and Darcy, crying and holding each other were sitting on the front step. She walked over to them kneeling down and wrapping them in her arms.

She couldn't do this any more.

"They took…everything" Darcy whispered.

Willa dropped her hand from her face to reveal a purple bruise.

Rachel rubbed it with her finger "I'm so sorry" she whispered, tears streaming down her face.

Not mascara.

She pulled them to there feet and they walked into the trailer. It was destroyed, garbage everywhere, the little furniture they had over turned.

Rachel took a deep breath and fanned her self.

"did Cooper ever come back?" she asked them and they shook there heads no.

"Because the O'Brian's we're beating the crap out of me" he said as he walked in behind them.

"Oh my god" she sighed as she walked over and hugged him, he had a black eye.

"What are you going to do?" He asked her as he ran a hand down her side.

She bit down on her top lip. She looked over her shoulder.

"Go pack up" she whispered to them and they walked to there room.

"the chief at the police station, he said he would help us" she nodded

"You sure its safe"

"Yea," she nodded "He's not one of them"

"Ok" he whispered as he ran a hand down her cheek. She reached up and pressed her lips against his. She wanted to remember every inch of the only guy who had ever treated her right.

She released him and walked to her room. Everything was thrown about there as well. She sank to her knees and pulled the box out from under her bed.

It was empty. She leaned against her bed. She had saved and saved. And now she had nothing to show for it.

"Rachel" she heard and turned around.

Willa was holding a box.

"We saw the coming, we hid it" she whispered.

Rachel took the box and opened it, revealing all of her earnings. She smiled

"Thanks" she held the box close to her.

She grabbed her bag and started packing her clothes. She put the money in the bottom.

"Where do you think your going?" he asked

"I have no idea, wherever he sends me." She stated

"And if he doesn't have anywhere for you to go?" Cooper wondered

"I don't know" she shook her head.

He pulled up to the police station and she and her sisters got out.

"hang around for a second?" she smiled

"Of course" he nodded

Will and Darcy followed her inside and she walked straight back to the chiefs desk.

"Rachel" he wasn't surprised to see her

"We need your help" she nodded

He handed her a piece of paper.

She red the piece of paper

"7:30, 45 Riverside Road, Tree Hill, NC" she red aloud "What's that?" she asked softly

"The time you flight leaves and the address you'll be heading to, there expecting you" he handed her boarding tickets.

"Who is expecting us?" Darcy wondered.

Rachel pressed her lips together "Aunt Karen and Uncle Keith" she finally recognized the address

"Don't forget there daughter Haley" the chief smiled

"thanks, for everything" Rachel nodded

"Just straighten yourself out," the chief stated

The three girls nodded before quickly left the precinct. Rachel looked over her shoulder

The two cops who had brought her in, they smiled.

She pushed them to go faster and they ran back out to the car.

"Where to?" cooper asked as they sped off

"The airport," she stated as she looked out the window

"Thank you, for everything" Rachel told Cooper

"Call me when you get there, ok?" he stated as he caressed her side

"I will, I promise" she nodded

"Take care of yourself ok…work at like…a clothing store or something" he whispered and she chuckled

"I would love to" she nodded

He kissed the top of her forehead and she made her way to the gate. The plane was boarding. She stopped and turned around. She wanted to be out of trouble, she would miss cooper but she was scared of what was to come.

She waved and than followed her sister onto the plane. There seats were all the way in the back so they continued walking.

She sat in the middle and held Willa and Darcy's hands.

She blinked a couple of times, tears were flowing.

"Oh, sweetie, here you go" one of the stewardess handed her a napkin.

She looked at the women oddly

"Your mascara" the women winked and than walked away.

Rachel was confused. She dabbed her eyes and looked down at the napkin.

Her waterproof mascara, had come off.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"_He wasn't drinking!" she shouted_

"_How do you know he wasn't?!"_

"_I wouldn't have gotten in that car if he had!" she swore up and down_

"_But you did…"_

"_Because he hadn't been drinking!" she covered her face._

"_Haley, she was your friend…how can you protect the boy who may have killed her?" he asked her gently._

_She slammed her fist against the table._

"_HE'S HER BROTHER! NOT A KILLER!" she screamed, her voice was gone after she shouted the last word._

_She clutched her throat as she collapsed against the table, sobbing. _

"_Let her go" the officer waved his hand as the other cop helped Haley out of the room._

_She stepped out of the interrogation room, she saw her parents rushing towards her._

"_Haley! Haley!..."_

Her eyes fluttered open.

"Haley?" she heard and she rolled over squinting into the light, it was her mother. "They guys are downstairs" she smiled before leaving.

She sat up in her bed stretching. She had the same reoccurring dream; it used to be a nightmare, but she had it so often, that she was no longer scared. They had gotten past that whole event in real life, she didn't understand why she couldn't shake it subconsciously.

She climbed out of her warm bed and changed into her bathing suit, brushed her teeth quickly and pulled her hair up into a pony tail before heading down stairs.

"And you always gripe about us being late" Jake scoffed

"Sorry I overslept" she smiled as she hugged Lucas and Jake

"No Nate?" she asked softly

The two boys shook there heads no. She sighed.

"Don't worry Hales, he'll come around soon" Lucas referred to there friend.

"Yea I know…I just worry about him"

They were about to head out the door when the phone rang, Haley grabbed it.

"Hello?"

"Is Mr. or Mrs. James present?" a scruffy voice she didn't recognize asked

"Yea hold on" she made a confused face and handed it to her mother.

"Yes this is she….is everything alright….oh…" her mother seemed shocked and scared at the same time.

"What?" Haley whispered, her mother waved her on.

Apparently they would talk later. Haley slowly turned on her heels heading toward the door.

"Come one Hales, we have no time to waste, just two more days before school starts!"

Deb knocked on the door repeatedly. She wasn't sure if he could here her over the music. She turned the knob and found him stretched out on his bed.

"Can I come in?" she wondered

"You kind of already are" he told her as he lowered the volume of his stereo.

She nodded "Yea…well you didn't answer when I knocked…" she trailed off

"And what did you think that meant?" he deadpanned.

She sat on the edge of his bed "You cant keep acting this way…its been 3 months…"

He sat up, "Does that mean its supposed to be any easier?" he wondered

"No" she shook her head, her eyes welling up "It wont ever get easier, not for you, not for me, not for you father…but you cant move on if you just sit in your room"

"I have no where else to be" he whispered laying back down.

"What about Lucas, Haley and Jake? What are they up to?" she asked

He pointed to his answering machine, bored with there conversation. The number blinked

"48 messages?" she asked astonished and hit the button.

The voices quickly filled the room

"Hey Nate, its Luke, give me a call. Nathan, its me Jake, lets meet up later. Hi…its Hales…I'm worried about you…call me back, please?" and they continued and continued.

"They don't sound sad" Nathan stated

"You know they are" she whispered

"I know but they just don't sound it"

Deb crossed her arms as she made her way to the door.

"You know Nathan…I think if you really listened…the sadness in there voices, would be all you could here" she nodded before closing the door behind her.

Nathan closed his eyes once his mother was gone, tears rolled down his cheeks, he angrily swiped them away.

Deb sat on her own bed and her husband sat next to her.

"Did you talk to him?" he asked

"I tried, he didn't say much" she shook her head

"It's going to be ok, I promise" Dan nodded

"He doesn't get it" she cried "We lost a part of us to, he lost a sister, but we lost a daughter" she sobbed

The two boys stared at Haley.

"What?" she laughed "Never seen a bikini before?" she wondered

"Not on you" Jake told her

Haley shrugged as she lay down on her towel.

"This summer…made me realize I need to…be more outgoing, do more of what I want…have fun…be…" she struggled to think of the words

"More like her?" Lucas whispered

Haley looked over at him

"Maybe" she whispered. "Is that wrong?" she asked them both.

"No" Jake shook his head "She would be proud" he smiled

Haley sighed, a happy sigh. Resting her head back on the towel and soaking up the sun.

"Is that real?" she heard Lucas asked

"Luke, you should never ask a girl that" she laughed

"Look for yourself" she heard him say so she sat up and looked.

They were focusing there attention on Jake.

"Yes, its real" he nodded

"Did it hurt?" Lucas asked as Haley traced the ink permanently placed upon Jake's inner rib cage.

'Like Hell" the boy nodded.

"It's beautiful" Haley admired it.

In a beautiful script, the tattoo red: June 6 2006

"Come on" Haley jumped up and grabbed her stuff.

He poked his head out of the door

"Mr. Martin?" he asked expecting to find an older man.

But the only person sitting outside was a young man, not any older than his daughter

"That's me" he spoke.

"Come on in" Keith nodded a bit surprised

He watched as the young man, who seemed a bit nervous, sat down before him

"So Mr. Martin-"

"You can call me Stephen" he nodded

"Ok Stephen, do you have much experience?" Keith watched him.

"As a matter of fact I do, In Mississippi I worked in an Import Shop as an apprentice. I've been building and taking apart cars just about my entire life. I dappled a little in body work, but it all felt a little sneaky if you ask me" he shifted in his seat.

"Well…" Keith was caught off guard "What kind of cars have you worked on, because I mean, we don't really get many imports"

"You name it, I've worked on it"

"Dodge?"

"yep"

"GMC?"

"of course"

"Honda"

"Who hasn't?"

"Your Hired"

Stephen rubbed his hands together as he walked out the front of the auto shop. He had just landed himself a job, a good one. And he had to admit he was proud of himself. He walked around the corner and kept walking until he hit the only apartment complex in Tree Hill.

He jogged up the steps and opened the door into his apartment. It seemed to be colder in there than it was outside.

"Ma? Is the heat on?" he asked loudly

"did you get the job?" a sickly women came out from the kitchen.

"Yea" He said distracted as he looked at the thermometer.

He turned it and nothing happened, it was just one more thing for him to fix.

"How much does it pay?" she followed him around

"Enough. Aren't you supposed to be in bed?" He asked her confused

"What good am I in bed?"

"What good are you out of bed?"

She stared daggers at him.

"I'm sorry mom I didn't mean it like that" he whispered

"Yea you did" she frowned as she walked to her bedroom.

"Mom, you know I didn't" he followed her

She climbed in bed and he covered her with one of there only blankets.

"You'll be warmer in here" he nodded

"I love you stephen" she told him

"I love you to mom"

"I cant believe this!" Haley Laughed

It was 11:00 at night and she was on her way home, Lucas and Jake were going to drop her off.

"I cant believe it either" Jake shook his head, he was driving.

"did it hurt there?" Lucas pointed to her hip

"did it hurt there?" Haley pointed to his inner arm.

"Hell yea" they both laughed

They had each gotten the same tattoo as Jake.

"My mother is going to freak out" Haley shook her head

"Because of the tattoo or you breaking curfew?" Jake wondered

"Ah…a little of both" Haley smiled

"Well your finally living on the edge James" Lucas nodded as they pulled up to her house and she got out.

"Just don't fall off" Jake called after her.

She gave him the finger and than ran up her front porch. The lights were still on, she took a deep breathe and pushed open the door.

She heard voices in the kitchen, voices she didn't recognize. She walked to the back of the house, she found the voices in the kitchen, her mother and father and three people she didn't recognize.

"Haley" Karen smiled

Keith walked over and put an arm around her.

"What's going on?" Haley asked confused.

"Well" keith cleared his throat "These are your cousins, there going to be staying with us" he said slowly.

Haley squinted.

"This is Rachel, Willa and Darcy"

Stephen cleaned the top of the bar. Keith's Auto shop would pay good, but not good enough. So he had picked up one more job, working the graveyard shift at the local watering hole. It was pretty dead so he was surprised when the door jingled. A young kid walked in, disheveled looking.

He took a seat at the bar.

"Just a coke" he whispered

He rolled his eyes he handed him a beer and the kid looked up.

"I wont tell if you wont" he nodded

"Thanks" he whispered

Steve continued to wipe the counter put things away and clean up.

"You look like he had a ruff day" he stated.

"How many movies have you watched that are about bartender's?" the kid asked

"I don't know, why?" he looked at the stranger

"I don't want to confess my problems to you, I know you really don't care and believe me, you wouldn't even understand the half of it" he gulped the beer.

He stopped.

"I'm 17, I work two jobs I just moved here last week because we got evicted from our last place, and with my free time I like to stay home and watch my mother slowly die because I cant afford her medication" he stated calmly.

They boy looked up. He held his hand out.

"Nathan Scott"

"Stephen Martin"

They shook hands.

Rachel sat on her bed quietly. She looked around her room, Ashley and Willa had decided to share the room next door leaving her to her own devices.

This one room was as big as the entire trailer she had crammed her sisters into. There was a knock on the door and she looked over her shoulder. It was Haley.

"Hi, can I come in?" Haley asked

"Of course" She nodded

Haley slowly walked in and sat down. She forgot about her tattoo and winced in pain

"Are you ok?" Rachel asked

"Yea, I uh…" she whispered "I got a tattoo" she pressed her lips together.

"Wild" Rachel nodded

Haley rolled her eyes "I know it may not seem like it is…but for me…its really crazy" she smiled

Rachel laughed. It must have been nice to live a sheltered life.

"What are you guys talking about?" Willa and Darcy entered

"Haley got a tattoo" Rachel informed them as she started to unpack her one bag.

"Aw, me too" Darcy squealed

"What?" Rachel whipped around.

"Surprise?" Ashley wondered

Rachel shook her head as Darcy lifted up the back of her shirt revealing the design on her lower back.

"tramp stamp" Willa mumbled as she sat down on Rachel's bed.

"I agree" Rachel nodded

"Come on, did you ever want to do something spontaneous?" Haley asked Rachel.

Willa and Darcy looked at there sister.

"After years of spontaneity it kind of grows old" she whispered

Haley nodded "Well this is just about the most spontaneous thing I've ever done" Haley crossed her legs.

"Well than congratulations and welcome to the dark side" Darcy laughed

"Lets try and stay on the bright side, ok?" Rachel asked

"It's a little late for that" Willa directed her eyes at the floor

"What do you mean? Ever done something crazy?" Haley asked interested

Rachel studied her sister.

"Nothing worth talking about" Willa nodded.

Lying through her teeth.

"Girls, why don't you try and get some rest" Karen said in passing.

Karen entered her room and plopped down on her bed.

"there's something that cop didn't say" she whispered

"Well whatever it, I'm sure we'll figure it out soon" Keith got into bed beside her.

"I feel horrible" he whispered

"You feel horrible? There my sisters kids, and I let them live on there own in some disgusting trailer park" Keith whispered

"Well…what matters now is that there safe"

It was very late at night, but the jet lag left Rachel wide awake in her dark room. She was stretched out on her bed, somewhat lonely. She had grown accustomed to the cramped warm space. She rolled over to the side of her bed and grabbed the cell phone Cooper had given her.

She dialed his hotel room number.

"Hi can you connect me to Mr. Cooper Scott?" she asked when the women answered.

"I'm sorry Miss, but Mr. Scott checked out just a few hours ago"

"oh…uh…ok, thanks" she said confused and than hung up the phone.

She rolled back to the center of her bed.

Her life as she knew it was over.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Rachel sat up in her bed abruptly

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you" Haley put her hand over her chest.

Rachel had startled her when she jumped up.

"No its find, is everything ok?" she ran a hand through her hair, throwing the covers to the side.

"Yea everything is good, but you should really get up and get ready, you and the girls have to go register for school today" Haley explained

"uh…ok, I'll be down in a bit" she nodded.

Rachel yawned as she crawled out of her king size bed and walked over to the door that was next to her empty closet. She turned the knob and opened the door to reveal the biggest bathroom she had ever seen.

"A girl could get used to this"

She hopped in the shower and turned the water on. She couldn't help but remember

"_I'm going to shower, if you want to come" she smiled coyly as she pulled the sheets around her body, skipping away from the bed and into the bathroom._

_She had turned the water on hot and let the bathroom fill with steam as she waited. She waited and waited. Was he going to come in or not?_

_She began to feel nervous as she let the warm water trickle down her back and over her body._

_The shower door suddenly opened and she smiled._

"_Cooper-" she smiled _

"_I just wanted to tell you your breakfast is here" he whispered and than he left_

She only needed one draw for all of her clothes.

She searched through it. But all she had was 'work clothes' or t shirts. She did thankfully have her favorite pair of jeans and her converse sneakers. She ran a brush through her hair and walked across the hall.

Haley looked over her shoulder and smiled "yea?" she asked Rachel.

"Uh…I was just wondering, I don't really have much, I thought...If maybe…I could-"

"Raid my closet, be my guest" Haley laughed

"Thanks so much, I didn't really…uh…get a chance to pack much" she stated, it was true.

"That's ok, It just means we get to go on a shopping trip" Haley smiled.

Rachel looked through the racks and racks of clothes. She looked over to her right there was a picture of Haley and a brunette they were smiling and hugging.

"Who's that?" She asked out of curiosity.

Haley looked up. She pressed her lips together.

"That was my best friend, Brooke" she told her as she walked over and studied the picture, it was the last day of school.

"Was?" Rachel wondered as she studied Haley.

Haley seemed sad.

"She died" she whispered

"I'm so sorry" Rachel whispered as they both studied the picture.

There was no denying that both the beauty and happiness of the brunette in the picture was overwhelming.

"I know what your thinking" Haley nodded as she put the picture back on the wall

"You do?" Rachel continued to look at the clothes.

"You want to know how she died" Haley filled her gym bag.

Rachel looked over her shoulder. Haley looked up at her.

"Car accident" Haley nodded

"Oh" Rachel whispered

What else could she say?

"On a lighter note" Haley smiled "hurry up, pick anything you want and I'll be downstairs, and its cold, so bring a coat" Haley warned her with a smile before heading down the stairs.

Rachel sighed. Maybe she wasn't the only one with a tough life.

She quickly picked a top and walked back to her room changed and grabbed her coat. She trotted down the stairs and into the kitchen.

She paused and tilted her head to the side. Darcy and Willa were smiling and laughing, sitting at the counter eating cereal. It was the first time in a long time that she had seen them do anything normal like that.

"What can I get you for breakfast Rachel? Cereal? Toast? Eggs?" Karen asked, ready to please

"Cereal is more than fine" Rachel stated as she sat down at the counter next to Haley.

It all seemed so odd. She hadn't done this or acted this way or felt this way since she was a little girl.

"So when exactly is the first day of school?" the always talkative Darcy asked

"tomorrow, but today is practice for the cheerleaders" Haley pointed to herself "and the basketball players and the last day to register for fall classes" Haley explained

"So you made it just in time" Keith nodded.

"Do you girls want a ride to school?" Karen asked as she watched the four of them.

It was sort of odd how her family had grown overnight.

"No, we'll be driving" Haley held her hand out.

"Hales, how about we just drive you?" Keith crossed his arms.

"Dad"

"Hales"

Rachel sat silently, wondering how this would work. She was never disobedient.

"Call me when you get there" Keith handed her the keys

"I'll call you before we leave to" Haley nodded

He was about to walk out the door when he turned around

"Look out for this guy. I just hired him at the shop, he said he was registering at the high school today. Tall, short hair" he explained

"Cute?" Darcy wondered

"Dreamy" Keith rolled his eyes leaving the girls laughing.

"You ok Willa?" Karen studied the girl who had been silent for much of the morning

"Yea I'm fine, just a little nervous" she shrugged.

"Ok" Karen nodded

"Well, we should get going" Haley smiled as she escorted the girls out the front door

"Have a good day!" Karen called after them.

"This place is huge, and I bet its filled with boys" Darcy rubbed her hands together

"Could you think about something else for like five seconds?" Willa asked as they entered the school.

"Haley!" the four girls turned around.

Lucas and Jake were surprised to find so many girls in one spot.

"These are my two best friends Lucas and Jake, guys these are my cousins Rachel, Darcy and Willa…they just moved in" Haley explained.

"It's very nice to meet you" Jake shook there hands

"We'd stay and Chat but Whitey is already rounding the team up" Lucas explained

"Have you seen Na-" Haley was about to ask when the door opened and the wind gusted in.

Nathan Scott walked passed them with out even saying hello. Haley crossed her arms.

"How sweet" Haley pressed her lips together as she accompanied her cousins to the office.

Two hours later Rachel and her sisters walked out off the office

"So we are officially students at Tree Hill High" Willa studied her schedule

She and Darcy would be incoming sophomores, Rachel a junior.

"Looks nice enough, right?" Rachel asked them

"Better than any school I've ever been in" Darcy shook her head

"We should find the gym" Rachel looked down the hall.

That was were Haley told them to go afterwards.

15 minutes later after searching the huge school, they found it and slowly pulled the large door open.

On one side of the gym, cheerleaders were practicing and the other side had the basketball players stretching. It was just how you would have pictured it to be.

The three girls climbed up the to top of the bleachers and sat and watched. Haley waved to them and they waved back.

Nathan dribbled around the players and aimed for the hoop, scoring point after point. He was the best on the team and nothing would change that. Suddenly he was being double teamed, he looked left he looked right.

And than he paused. He saw something…someone. As if she was sitting there, cheering him on, like always. He stood up straight, the ball was stripped from his hands but he stood there. He focused in. It wasn't her. But it still brought memories back. He made his way to the bleachers.

"_So?? What do you think?" she spun around in her room._

"_It's a top" Nathan said confused._

_His sister always insisted upon him giving his opinion about her outfit selection, even though he never had anything nice to say. She said she needed a boys opinion…but she also insisted that his opinion didn't really matter since he wasn't her target audience. Which just proved that this pointless ritual…was just that…pointless._

"_A $250 top" She looked in the mirror_

"_Oh my god" Nathan shook his head,_

"_it's a one of a kind" she smiled at him._

_There father was going to kill her._

"_that's what I was going for" she winked as she jumped onto his back_

"_To the party?" he asked_

"_to the party!" _

"What the hell?" Rachel asked as some idiot stood in front of her, furious.

Nathan snapped out of it

"Where did you get that?" he spat

"Get what?" she asked confused

Almost scared.

"That shirt!" Nathan grabbed her arm.

"That hurts-"

"Nathan, stop it" Haley grabbed him "She's my cousin" she explained

"She didn't know" Lucas said from behind.

"Let her go, moron" Darcy flicked him.

"Nate" Jake whispered.

Nathan slowly let Rachel go, everyone surrounding him. He pushed passed them all and headed out of the gym.

Rachel bit down on her lip, rubbing her arm. It was sure to bruise.

"You ok?" Haley asked her softly

Rachel nodded, pushing back any tears that had been brought forward

"What's his problem?" she asked as she sat back down.

Haley watched Nathan flee the school.

"That's Brooke's brother…and that's Brooke's shirt" Brooke pointed to her top.

Rachel looked down at the flattering red top. Figures.

Haley rushed out of the locker room, looking for another shirt to give to Rachel. She was moving so quickly she didn't watch her step and she stumbled down the last step. Thankfully a guy at the bottom of the stairs broke her fall.

"Oh my god" she laughed as they stood

"I don't think anybody saw" he whispered

"Thanks" Haley blushed, brushing her hair out of her face.

"Stephen Martin" he held his hand out

"Haley James" she shook it

"Oh…as in…Keith James?" he asked

"That's my dad"

"That's my boss" he nodded

Haley realized that this was the new mechanic. And her father wasn't kidding, he was dreamy.

It was than that she noticed, he was carrying his brand new THH Raven's shirt.

"Can I like…borrow that?" she laughed

"Uh, sure-"

"thanks!" Haley smiled, taking it and running away.

Stephen watched her skip down the hallway and disappear.

"Don't bother" Nathan said in passing "It's not worth it"

"So how was everybody's day?" Karen said as she finally sat down at the dinner table.

"It was great until Rachel got attacked-" Willa embellished

"It was just Nathan…he had a little…moment, you could say" Haley shrugged

"So he's still not any better?" Keith asked

"You really cant expect him to be, after the accident-"

Haley cleared her throat, ceasing her parents conversation.

Rachel wasn't sure whether it was because Haley didn't want to talk about it, or because she didn't want her to know.

But with her own stress and anxiety building, she came to a conclusion.

She was probably better off.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

"_Come on Lucas!"_

"_I…I...told you...I told you everything" he said shakily_

"_But I don't believe you!" the detective shouted_

"_Oh god" he held his head_

"_I know your covering for you friend!" the detective slammed his fist down_

"_Please Lucas, we really really need this" the 'good cop' whispered to him._

"_I…I told you…" he cried "I TOLD YOU!" he shouted from the top of his lungs._

_The detectives looked at him, one got right up in his face._

"_Let me just remind you, as you sit here and cover for your best friend…YOUR COVERED IN YOUR GIRLFRIENDS BLOOD!"_

Lucas sat up.

It was only the first day of school and he had already fallen asleep in class. But if he was going to have a nightmare every time, perhaps it would be an incentive to stay awake.

The bell rang and everyone evacuated the room.

He found his locker and struggled to get it open. It was stuck. Soon enough the next bell rang and he was late. Giving up, he spun around in a rush.

And there she was. Wandering the halls, completely lost.

"What room are you looking for?" he called out to her.

Willa looked up from her schedule, one of Haley's friends was speaking to her. Was it Lucas? Or was it Jake?

She hadn't been paying much attention.

"Uh…432" she looked up

"Can't be" he smiled as he walked closer to her

"Why is that?" she asked softly

"We only have 300 rooms here" he told her

She tilted her head to the side, studying him intently.

"How can I trust you?" she wondered

"I know the girl in the main office. She has a tendency to flip numbers" Lucas nodded

"Or you could be one of those mean upper class man who send me to the roof"

Lucas pointed to the door right in front of her, 234.

"Try that one" he whispered before making his way down the hall.

She sighed, stomping her foot on the floor. She slowly twisted the knob and opend the door. And their was definitely a class in their. She knew this because every last student including the teacher turned to look at her.

"Is this geometry?" she asked

"Come on in Ms. Gatina"

"I decided that this year, we would just get right to the point since we don't have much time" the health teacher bellowed.

It was only a semester class.

"Which means…it's project time, my favorite time" everybody groaned.

Rachel looked around, she kind of liked school. And projects were easy A's so…she didn't see the problem.

"I'll be pairing you up-"

There was the problem

"And you'll be doing a 5 minute presentation on your topic"

"Do we choose our own topic?" a girl asked

"You could say that" the teacher motioned to a hat, that they would pull from.

She began pairing students up.

Finally she arrived at Rachel's desk.

"You and…you" she pointed to the back of the room.

She bit down on her lip and slowly turned around.

Nathan Scott was seated in the last seat of the last row, that was her partner.

The others who had witnessed yesterdays altercation whispered and Rachel sank down in her seat.

Perfect.

"Ok ladies, single file" the teacher sat back down at his desk "than get with your partner"

Rachel slowly stood from her seat and got in line. She looked up once to see if Nathan was interested in doing this at all.

His head was down.

Finally it was her turn and she put her hand in and pulled out a sheet. She opend it up.

'Drunk Driving'

Her heart sank. She didn't know what type of car accident Brooke had died in, but she figured anything that had to do with burning automobiles was a bad thing.

"Hi…excuse me. Is there any way I can trade my pick, or pick again-"

"All selections are final" the teacher smiled

"No, I don't think you understand-"  
"Sure I do" the teacher nodded.

"Please I-"

A whistle echoed through the room and Rachel turned around.

Nathan was motioning for he to come to his desk.

"Better not keep him waiting" the teacher rolled his eyes as she got back to her work.

Rachel took a deep breath and slowly walked over to Nathan. He finally looked at her when she arrived.

His piercing blue eyes stared at her, his chiseled jaw was set. He was emotionless.

"Well?" he asked her

She looked down at the paper again. She folded it up and put it on his desk.

Crossing her arms, she waited for him to pick it up and look at it.

And when he did, all the color drained from his face.

"_Let's go, son" the cops walked him down a large corridor._

"_My hands hurt" he whispered. The cuffs were to tight._

"_That's the least of your worries" the officer laughed._

_They sat him down in a chair just as a nurse was walking in._

"_What are you going to do?" he asked, but nobody answered him._

_The nurse opened a needle and jabbed him. He winced._

"_We're taking some blood. To find out how much you've been drinking"_

"_But I already told you-"_

"_Save it" he told him._

"_Anything else you need?" the nurse asked him._

"_No" he shook his head_

"_Because I can exchange it" she informed him._

"_What?" he asked her_

"_I can exchange it" _

"I said, I can exchange it, if you want" Rachel said for the third time.

Nathan looked up at her.

"Now why would I do that?" he asked

She stood their, she had no freaking idea what to say.

"I just thought-"

"Come over around 7, the quicker its done, the better" he whispered.

"Ok" she nodded

She sat down in a nearby chair. Wondering if he had anything else to say.

He put his head down.

Apparently he was done talking.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Willa asked

"I think challenging him would be worse" Rachel explained what happened in class.

"But he's a monster" Darcy reminded her

"It was just a misunderstanding" Rachel shook her head

"But he's-"

"Listen!" Haley said loudly, the girls looked at her, shocked.  
Haley took a breathe, she couldn't let them speak this way.

"Nathan…is harmless" she shrugged "She'll be fine…you'll be fine" she nodded.

"We're sitting here" Lucas announced as he appeared at the table and Jake sat down.

"Do you think he'll come over here?" Jake wondered

"We'll find out in a minute"

Lucas, Jake and Haley watched as Nathan exited the kitchen with his meal. He made directed eye contact with them.

It seemed as though he was walking towards them, but at the last minute he turned and sat at another table, with another guy.

"Who is that?' Jake asked confused

"His name is Stephen" Haley informed them "He works for my dad" she added

"At least he's not alone" Lucas watched.

Late in the day Haley had managed to earn herself a bathroom pass. But she found the most unlikeliest of people in the hall.

"Stephen right?" she smiled

"Yea" he nodded as he looked up.

"I uh…I have your shirt in my locker" she tried to make conversation

"Oh, ok" he nodded as he leaned against his locker.

"Anyways" she shook her head "I was just wondering…did…Nathan…say anything-"

"About you?" He asked

Did she like him.

"Well not about me specifically," she laughed "Just…anything in general" she blushed.

"Um…" he thought "I don't know, it would be helpful if I new what you were looking for" he told her

"Ok" she crossed her arms "Anything about the past couple of months…about his sister?" she whispered

"I didn't know he had a sister"

"Well he doesn't…I mean he does, it's just-"

"How can you have a sister…and than not have a sister?" Stephen asked confused

"You know what, this was a mistake. I'm sorry" she laughed as she turned away.

But Stephen grabbed her hand and she stopped. They were standing closely.

"If he, says anything…about…anything…I'll let you know" he said softly.

"thanks" she smiled as she slipped out of his grasp.

Stephen watched her go, her hips swaying side to side.

The boss would not appreciate this.

Rachel stood at the curb, in front of Nathan Scott's monster of a house. It had at least three stories. She could see the swimming pool from where she stood.

The basketball hoop swayed with a gust of wind.

She slowly made her way up the steps and hesitantly rang the bell.

The door quickly opened, a petite blonde looked shocked.

"Hi, I'm Rachel…I'm looking for Nathan?" she asked slowly

"OH" Deb said with excitement "Come on in, come on" she waved the girl inside.

It had been a long time since anybody had been in the house, let alone since Nathan had brought home a friend.

"Um..he's up in his room. Second door on your left" Deb nodded

"Ok, thanks" she smiled as she made her way up the steps.

She glanced over her shoulder. Deb was still at the bottom of the steps, smiling. She nodded in approval.

Rachel found this whole situation to be a bit awkward. As she climbed the stairs she noticed things…that were…off, about the home.

Pictures were face down. The walls had discolored squares were pictures had been removed. There was a dying plant in the corner.

She came to the second door on the left and lifted her arm to knock.

"Mom!" the door swung open before she touched it, she jumped back

"Oh" Nathan stared at her and than his watch. He looked over his shoulder, Rachel followed his glance.

His room looked as though it had exploded, clothes thrown about, posters have ripped of the wall, the curtain rod was hanging off on one side.

"We can work down stairs" he said as he closed the door behind him.

She nodded, following him back down the stairs.

"Are you hungry sweetie?" Deb put her arm on Nathan's shoulder and he shrugged her away.

"No" he grunted

"How about you Rachel?" Deb followed them.

"No Thank you, I-"

"She's fine" Nathan stated as he grabbed Rachel around the waist and shoved her through a door, slamming the door shut behind them.

Rachel stood still in the dark. She didn't know what she was supposed to do.

Nathan flicked a light switch and light revealed that they were in a stairwell.

"It's just a basement" he told her

He nudged passed her and went down the stairs, she followed. To her surprise, it was just a finished basement. A pool table in the corner, a couch. Normal.

"Here" he handed her a lap top and she sat down, opening it up.

She began to boot up the computer, she watched as he grabbed a beer.

"Want one?" he asked her

"uh, no" she shook her head.

He shrugged opening his and taking the seat across from her. He than turned the television on.

"You know" she whispered and he looked at her "I can just do this myself-"

"What you think I can't do a stupid project?" he asked her

"No, I just thought that because-"

"Because of the accident I wouldn't want to?"

"I don't know anything-"

"Right, you don't" he whispered

She bit down on her lip. He clicked the television off.

"Do you have any ideas about the presentation?" He asked her.

"Um…I figured, probably a power point or something?" she asked

"Sounds good" he nodded "You look up statistics, I'll find penalties. Or something" he whispered as he sat down at another computer in the corner.

Rachel nodded to herself, opening the web browser. She typed in 'drunk driving', clicking the search button.

Numerous links pulled up, but one caught her eye.

_Fatal Crash in Rural North Carolina_ dated June 6. The subscript was ominous.

_Teenage girl killed in Tree Hill_.

She looked up at Nathan, he still had his back to her. She clicked on the link.

It took a moment to load because their was a picture. She watched as the picture downloaded, from what she could make out, it was a horrific scene none the lease. Their were ambulances and cop cars in the background. But the focal point was as Black Expedition wrapped around a tree…twice.

She wasn't sure if she would have time to read the whole thing so she quickly skimmed it, certain things catching her eye.

_Driver and three passengers_

_Joy ride._

_Drunk._

_No seatbelts._

_Dead on the scene._

_Driver…arrested. _

She scrolled down, there was another link, to a related story. She clicked it.

She looked up, Nathan was still busy.

The page took forever to load. But when it did. It revealed one thing and only one thing.

Nathan's mug shot.

She gasped. Nathan turned around.

"What?" he asked her

"Nothing" she slapped the computer shut.

"You look like your going to pass out" he told her

She ran a hand across her forehead. She was drenched with sweat.

"I'm burning up" she laughed nervously.

Nathan stood and walked over to the thermostat, lowering the temperature. When he turned around she was removing her heavy sweat shirt, revealing a spaghetti strap tank top.

He looked the other way.

"Did you find anything?" he asked her

"Nothing helpful" she held her head.

He nodded. It was than that he saw her arm, a purple handprint had surfaced on her skin.

"Sorry…about that" he pointed.

Rachel looked down at her arm

"It's nothing, I bruise really easily" she nodded

Especially when manhandled.

"Sometimes…" he whispered "I just loose it and…I cant control my temper" he explained softly.

He sat back down on the couch.

"You probably thing I'm a monster" he chuckled.

"I don't judge" she shook her head.

In her line of work, it would be impossible.

"It's not normal, is it? To have rage black outs? Is it?" he looked at her.

"It's probably just a symptom of-"

"Trauma?" He asked her

She shrugged.

Apparently he wasn't interested in her opinion.

"That's what the doctors said, the gave me medicine, but it doesn't really work, just makes me tired" he shrugged.

Why was he opening up to her? He didn't know, perhaps it was her heavy brown eyes, ridden with sadness, that compelled him. Perhaps she could understand his plight.

"Sometimes I just…I must be a bad person" he shrugged as he sat back.

"I doubt that" she shook her head.

"Oh yea?" he smiled

She had guts.

"Your not a bad person" she whispered

"How do you know?" he sat forward again.

She looked up

"Because I know bad people"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

The next day the girls made their way to school.

Haley dropped Willa and Lexi off at the front of the school.

"Now to find a parking spot" she mumbled to Rachel as the drove around the tight parking lot.

Rachel sat quietly.

"Did everything go ok last night?" Haley wondered

"Yea, it was ok" Rachel whispered as she looked out the window.

"Because you've been so quiet" Haley noted

"I know…I just…I'm not a morning person" Rachel lied.

Finally they found a spot and got out of the car.

"Well if Nathan gives you any trouble, just let me know" Haley assured her.

"Thanks hales" Rachel nodded as Haley put an assuring arm around her.

"Oh yeaaa! Girl on girl" a boy from a nearby car shouted.

"shut up Tim" Haley hissed as they walked on.

The boy and his buddy's laughed.

Out of curiosity, Rachel turned and looked over her shoulder. The boy looked familiar.

"who was that?" she asked Haley quickly

"Don't worry about him, he's a total poser" Haley said as she rummaged through her bag.

"a poser?" Rachel questioned as she followed Haley.

"Yea, he's always saying his family is into organized crime. He's a total liar"

"Well what's his name?" Rachel called out just before Haley slipped into her class.

"Tim O'Brian"

"So how was your study date?" Stephen asked as he and Nathan walked down the hall.

"I wouldn't call it a date" Nathan rolled his eyes as they approached his locker.

"Does that mean not well?"

"Can we talk about something else?"

"Ok" Stephen shrugged "You see the Lakers game last night?" he wondered

Nathan looked at him oddly.

"_Come on! Your no fun!" Brooke whined as she pushed him around the house, full of people._

"_Brooke, stop" Lucas coaxed her. _

"_No! My brother is the best damn basketball player Tree Hill has ever seen, He's the next god damn Kobe Bryant! I wana celebrate!" she whined._

"_We are celebrating" Nathan laughed as he pointed around the house full of people._

"_Yea well, if you don't turn that frown upside down I think…I might just…die"_

Nathan blinked his eyes, staring at Stephen

"What did you just say?" he asked loudly

"I said…if they don't make the playoffs…I might just die?" he asked confused

Nathan shook his head, looking into his locker.

"You alright, man?" Stephen asked

"I don't watch basketball" Nathan murmured.

"But your name is on every trophy in this school-"

"That doesn't mean I watch" Nathan said forcefully.

"Alright, alright" Stephen held his arms up in defense.

Perhaps this was what Haley had been talking about.

Willa looked left…and than right. She really wasn't catching on. One hall looked like the next.

"Lost again?" a voice startled her.

She turned the corner and Lucas was sitting up against a wall, reading.

"We should really stop meeting this way" she crossed her arms.

"Yea well…I guess its fate" he said as he stood.

"room 139?" she wondered

"Follow me" he smiled.

"this looks more like earth science than biology" Willa nodded as she stared out at the football field.

"You expressed an interested in the roof, did you not?" he wondered

"Ha, ha, ha" she deadpanned.

"come on, I'll take you back" Lucas opened the door.

"No" she jumped forward.

"No?" he asked her confused

"I could use a break" she nodded as she turned and walked to the edge of the building.

Lucas sat down and waited.

"I mean…this school…it's like…your invisible" she laughed

"It's a big school" he nodded

"In my old school…everyone noticed me" she explained

"Ms Popularity?" he wondered

"Not exactly" she shook her head.

Rachel made her way out of the school, citing that she had to grab something from her car. She grabbed the phone she had been carrying around for the passed week and turned it on. She dialed all of the numbers in the phone. There was no answer, at any of them. She desperately needed to find Cooper. She didn't know how many O'Brian's there were in the world.

Perhaps this was a coincidence. But what if it wasn't? What if in effort to flee the O'Brian's she had run right into a trap that would endanger the only family she had left?

"Hey!" she heard, and she spun around.

It was that Stephen kid, the new mechanic at her uncle's shop.

"Your' Haley's…cousin, right?" he asked her

"Yea" she nodded.

She snapped the phone shut, slipping it into her bag.

"I was wondering if I could ask you a question" he said softly

"Sure" she told him as they walked back in to school.

"Nathan's sister…where is she?" he asked

She looked over at him. Perhaps he knew less than her.

"Why?" she wondered

"I just…I was just wondering" he stated

"She's dead" Rachel informed him.

She didn't see the harm, considering everyone else knew.

"How did she die?" he asked slowly, unsure of the answer he might recieve

Rachel shook her head, she really didn't wana talk about all this stuff.

"Maybe you should talk to Nathan, or Haley. Not me" she said "I'm sorry" she took off down the hall slipping into a bathroom.

"Oh god" she shook her head, splashing water on her face.

"What's up?" the stall door swung open, revealing Lexi.

"What are you doing in here?" Rachel asked confused

"I'm bored" the girl complained

School really wasn't her thing.

"That doesn't mean you can skip class" Rachel stared down at her mini me.

"I wouldn't call it skipping, I'd call it…taking a break" she smiled

Rachel shook her head, she was bored with arguing.

"What's wrong with you?' the girl asked.

Rachel sighed. She didn't need to tell anybody, since she wasn't yet sure if they had anything to be worried about.

"Just stressed out, that's all" she shrugged

"Maybe you should get laid-"

"What?" she shouted

"Kidding, kidding. See you at home" the younger girl slipped out of the door.

Rachel sighed. She didn't need to get laid, she just need to take a deep breathe and relax.

She exited the bathroom, swinging the door open, hitting something on the other side.

"Oh my god" she laughed as she looked to see what she hit.

There was Nathan, stunned.

"oh my god" she said again, this time a bit softer.

"I'm fine" he shook his head

"Your bleeding" she said

Out of instinct she reached out and touched the skin just above his eyebrow. She was even more surprised that he had let her.

She looked up and he was staring at her intensely. She let her hand drift back to her side.

The bell rang and the halls filled with nosy teens.

"uh..Sorry bout that" she nodded, pointing to the door.

"Don't worry about it" he waved it off, reverting back to his cold self.

"Ok" she nodded, staring at him, searching for the warmth that was their one moment ago.

"Are you coming over again?" he asked her, looking everywhere but at her.

"Yea, yea, I'll be there" she nodded

"See you then" he rolled his eyes as he pushed passed her to go take care of his wound.

He slipped into the nearby boys room.

He sighed as he leaned against the vanity, but he didn't look at his reflection.

He had a tough time looking at himself.

But he managed a glimpse when he heard the stall behind him open. It was Lucas.

Nathan shook his head. This was the last thing he needed.

"Hey" Lucas said softly

"Hi" he grunted as he snatched a paper towel and began to dab it on his face.

"How have you been?" Lucas came to his side.

Nathan didn't answer. Lucas moved on.

"So I here your working with Rachel on a project, she seems cool" Lucas nodded

"I guess" Nathan shrugged.

"And that new kid Stephen-"

"Lucas, what are you doing?" Nathan finally lost his temper, and asked with aggravation

"I'm just trying to talk to you" Lucas said honestly with compassion in his voice.

"Well Don't" Nathan warned him and than made his way to the door.

"We used to be friends" Lucas called out. "Best friends"

Nathan paused, he looked over his shoulder. Lucas was hunched over the sink, staring into it.

"Well we aren't any more"

Lexi had been in class minding her business when a guidance councilor entered the room and asked to speak with her. She obliged and followed the woman into the hall.

"Thanks so much for speaking with me Alexis" the woman nodded, as if she had had a chance.

"No big deal" the girl shrugged

"I just wanted to have a little, informal chat with you" the woman said.

"What about?" she wondered

"About you, your grades, just general stuff"

"Well I don't think I can be failing yet, I haven't taken any tests" she laughed

"Of course. But Mrs. Alding said you already skipped her history class. Is that true?"

Lexi frowned

"I really wasn't feeling well" she held her stomach.

"I see" the councilor nodded "But I was thinking that, perhaps a tutor might be a good preventative measure" she suggested

"Do I have to?" she blurted

"Well you wouldn't want to fall behind like you did at your last school, would you?" she asked

"No ma'am" she responded

"Good" she nodded "Welcome to the Tutor Center" she pointed to the door that led to what looked like a mini library.

"Thanks" Lexi deadpanned.

"Go in there, and they can set you all up. I suggest Math" the councilor patted her on the shoulder and left.

Lexi did a little dance of misery before debating whether or not to go in. The councilor had only offered a suggestion. But if she didn't go, the same woman would probably be on her case all year.

She pushed open the door and entered.

"I'm looking for a math tutor" she informed the girl at the desk

"Try the third table up" she pointed

Lexi nodded as she made her way to the other side of the room. There was a boy there, doing some homework.

"Hi" she interrupted him and he looked up. "Oh" she stated

"Lexi right? I'm Jake" he reminded her

"Yea, of course. Um, I've been sent to seek a math tutor" she nodded

"Well Math's my specialty so if your really interested, you've come to the right spot" he pulled a chair out for her.

"I don't really have much say in the matter"

After his horrible meeting with Nathan, Lucas made his way up to the roof; his place of solitude. But when he got there, somebody else had beaten him to the punch.

"We should get you a map" he stated

Willa jumped, he had startled her.

"Sorry, uh…I just…I'll go" she laughed as she gathered her things

"No, you can stay. I can share" he promised

"Thanks" she smiled as she sat back down.

Lucas sat down next to her.

"Rough day?" he asked her

"Rough couple weeks. You?" she asked

"Rough couple of months"

Later that night, Rachel found herself once again, in front of the Scott household. Only this time, there were no cars in the drive way and no lights on in side. It was kind of cold out and she really didn't know what to do. She paused to think.

"Hi" somebody interrupted her.

She looked up to see Tim O'Brian. Good thing it was dark, or he would have noticed the color drain from her face.

"Hi" she stated

"I'm Tim O'Brian" he held his hand out

"Rachel Gatina" she shook his hand.

She couldn't lie, eventually he would find out who she was.

"Gatina, that sounds familiar to me…" Tim scratched his head

"It's a common name" she shrugged, trying to come up with anything. She was silently praying that somebody would arrive home and let her inside.

"Have you ever been out to Las Veg-"

Her prayers were answered when a car pulled into the driveway, high beams silenced Tim.

Nathan got out of the car.

"Sorry, practice ran late" he said to Rachel

"That's ok" she nodded

"Just get your license back Nathan?" Tim smiled.

Nathan ignored him as he unlocked the front door.

"Rachel, we were in the middle of something" Tim reminded her.

But before she could answer.

"Drop dead Tim" Nathan stated with a sigh.

Rachel entered the house; Nathan was still on the front step.

"Well with you around, it's a possibility" Tim smiled before making his way home. At a very young age he had learned to hit below the belt.

Nathan slowly entered the house and closed the door, he turned back to Rachel.

"He's neighborly" she smiled, trying to crack a joke.

He simply walked passed her and into the kitchen, she followed.

"Hungry?" he asked her as he pulled out whatever meal his mother and father had left for him.

"Sure" she nodded

They ate silently, sitting across the table from each other.

It was weird for Nathan. Because he had been taking his meals in his room lately and hadn't really had much interaction.

"Tim wasn't bothering you, was he?" he looked up at her.

She looked up from her plate "No" she shook her head 'Not yet' she said to herself.

"Well if he ever does…" he trailed off

Rachel was hanging on every word, was he going to offer his assistance?

"He has a week left knee, one kick and he'll be out" Nathan explained as he took there empty plates and placed them in the sink.

Rachel smiled "Thanks" and than she followed him back into the basement.

A few hours later, after a productive evening, they were ready to call it a night.

Rachel slipped her coat on as Nathan walked her outside.

"Your going to walk home?" Nathan asked her, as he noticed there was no other car parked near his house.

"Yea, Haley doesn't…I don't live that far" she corrected.

"It's a couple of blocks" Nathan commented "I would give you a ride, but…" he trailed off as he stared at his car.

"_oh! My! God! It's beautiful!" Brooke jumped up and down_

"_And all mine" Nathan smiled as he leaned against his brand new car_

"_I'm so jealous" Brooke complained as she hopped into the passenger side._

"_When you get your license you can have a car to" Dan laughed as he went inside the house._

"_You know what this means, right?" Brooke laughed as she played with the CD player_

"_What?" he laughed_

"_What" _

"_Huh?" Nathan stared at her_

"_But what?" she looked him in the eye._

"But what?" Rachel asked again

She didn't know if she would get into a car with Nathan Scott, but she was curious if he wanted to take her home.

Just than, Dan and Deb pulled into the driveway behind Nathan.

"But I'm blocked in" Nathan shrugged

"Hi, Rachel!" Deb smiled as she got out of the car, Dan at her side

"Hi Mr. Mrs. Scott" she smiled

"Still working on that project?" Dan asked

"Yea, it's almost done" Rachel nodded "Right?" she asked Nathan.

"Yea, a few more meetings and everything will be done" he stuffed his hands in his pockets

They were all silent for a moment.

"Rachel, your not walking, are you?" Deb asked appalled

"It's just a few blocks-"

"Nonsense, I'll bring you home" Deb took Dan's keys and ushered her to the car.

Rachel smiled at Nathan as she got in the car and put on her seat belt. He just shrugged.

Dan stood next to Nathan as they watched Deb pull out of the drive way and drive away.

"Everything ok?" Dan asked

"I wanted to drive her home" Nathan admitted

Dan put his hand on his son's shoulder

"You could have" he explained

Nathan pulled away

"No I can't" he growled as he headed back to his room.


End file.
